1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a beverage container holder. More specifically, the invention relates to cup holders which are designed for confined spaces for use in a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Beverage container holders, commonly referred to as cup holders, are well-known in the motor vehicle arts. Many different types of such cup holders exist which can be mounted in various locations within the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. These cup holders are typically movable between a stored or retracted position within a housing and an extended or use position removed from the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,018, issued to the Baniak on Apr. 8, 1997, discloses a cup holder which is storable in a confined space. The cup holder has a support member that acts as a drawer which pivots between a retracted position within its housing and an extended position outside of its housing. A container holder or stabilizing arm rotates about its axis when it is released from the housing and pivots perpendicularly to the support member so that a cup may be held therein. Because the container holder rotates about its axis directly above the support member, this cup holder can only hold one cup or container at a time. This design is less desirable when multiple cups are needed to be stored.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,307, issued to Patmore on Jun. 9, 1998, discloses a cup holder capable of holding two cups side by side at a single time. The cup holder includes a housing from which the cup holder pivots. The cup holder has a support structure and a stabilizing structure. The support structure and stabilizing structure pivot through the same space to reach the use or extended position. This design is rugged and capable of holding more than one cup at a time. This design fails, however, to provide a cup holder which may be stored in a compact manner where access to the cup holder and storage space of the cup holder are limited. More specifically, the cup holder has a center structure from which the stabilizing arms and supports depend and extend therefrom. The center structure requires a great deal of space to operate. This prevents the cup holder from being secured and stored in places having little space to provide an opening for the release of the cup holder into its extended or use position. Further, the space required to allow this cup holder to pivot from its retracted position to its extended position is great. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a cup holder capable of holding more than one cup at a time while having a small footprint allowing it to be stored in and accessed from a small location.
A container holding assembly is disclosed including a housing defining an elongated vertical axis opening. A drawer is movable between a retracted position within the housing and an extended position outside of the housing. The container holding assembly also includes a support platform pivotally secured to the drawer. The support platform pivots between a non-supporting position when the drawer is in the retracted position and a supporting position when the drawer is in the extended position. The container holding assembly also includes a stabilizing arm pivotally secured to the drawer. The stabilizing arm includes an inner surface defining an aperture. The stabilizing arm is pivotal between a non-stabilizing position when the drawer is in the retracted position and a stabilizing position when the drawer is in the extended position. The support platform and stabilizing arm are designed such that the support platform travels through a portion of the aperture when the support platform pivots to and from the supporting position.